RV Road Warrior Dryer Outlet adapters for 120 Volts!

Note: Please do not try this at home unless you have a good idea what you are doing! Connecting 240 volts to your RV would probably result in “very bad things” ! Always check that a new adapter actually is 120 volts with a voltmeter, and that it is wired correctly with ground. From time […]

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Build a Better Refrigerator/Secop Thermostat

Now that I have successfully “hacked” my RV refrigerator, I would like to improve the thermostat. My goals are: Most of all, add the ability for something that engineers call hysteresis. This means, sure we can turn on the compressor when we begin to hit unsafe temperatures (around 40 degrees in the fridge or anything […]

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Hacking the Secop / DanFoss Compressor

Ever since I installed my Isotherm Cruise 219 I have been able to travel anywhere in the USA, in any weather, and have food safely stored in my refrigerator and freezer, which is more than I can say about my factory Dometic propane fridge. Still, its not perfect. If I had it to do over […]

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REGO 12V 60A DC-DC Battery Charger

I previously installed a Renogy 40 amp DC-DC charger. It worked fine, but had limited settings and no Bluetooth. My new batteries want a low absorption charge set at 13.8 volts which the old Renogy can’t accommodate. Also I would like to have a reverse DC-DC charger to keep my Mercedes battery charged while parked. […]

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ICECO JP50 Refrigerator

We travel with a backup refrigerator that is hugely useful, depending on our mood, as a wine/drink cooler, holding area while we defrost the big fridge, or, in a pinch, a second usable refrigerator in case the big one fails. We previously had an Alpicool Refrigerator which works great and fits behind the drivers seat. […]

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Discover DLB-GC12-12V Lithium Blue 12V 200Ah Batteries

This will be my third Lithium upgrade in the same van. I’m unwilling to sacrifice any more space or weight, so I do upgrades as technology improves. First it was (2) Battleborn’s, then (3) Renogy. All performed fabulously (some Renogy hiccups were just rough software and resolved themselves after cell balancing), and met my expectations, […]

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Equalizer Systems Emergency Operations

I regularly read posts about either being stuck with broken jacks or slides, or, people who travel without either for fear of being stranded. And I’m totally in that camp of not wanting the embarrassment and inconvenience of being stranded if possible. So I wanted to practice retracting my jacks manually. There are several excellent […]

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Add Inside Remote Propane Switch

Ever since I upgraded to an Isotherm Compressor Refrigerator I have found my outside propane switch even more annoying. I get that its good to have an outside switch – in case of a leak or fire, but couldn’t LTV have also installed one inside also? Even when I had my absorption refrigerator, with hookups […]

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Rewire RV with Xantrex 3000 XC Pro and (3) Renogy 100Ah 12V Bluetooth Batteries

Dec 2022 Update: The Renogys worked great after a few kinks were worked out and have been reliable. However I recently upgraded for more power to a pair of Discover Lithium 200 Batteries. The rest of this post is still relevant about installing the Xantrex, busbars, switch, etc. I only later updated the batteries themselves. […]

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Deep Dive into Isotherm Cruise 165/219

Its been over a year since I installed the Isotherm Cruise 219 in my RV. I just completed a 3 week trip out west and I thought it would be a good time to record some thoughts. So here, in random order, is what I learned so far: Refrigerator Drainage I originally totally missed the […]

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Zoleo Satellite Communicator

I’ve had a Globalstar GSP-1700 sat phone for a long time. Globalstar has a tortured history. Once a great service, it experienced some satellite failures and the service went to hell. It was so bad that to get the phone to work you had to consult a chart for when the next working satellite would […]

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TST 507 Series 6 Flow Thru Sensor TPMS System with Color Display

Finally! TPMS. And no, you don’t need to install Borg stems! Here is the background: Many people buy DIY TPMS off the Internet, and have their stems crack on the way home or after a short trip. The reason is usually due to either a rubber valve stem, or more often, a dually valve stem […]

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SensorPush HTP.xw Wireless Thermometer

A while back I bought an RV refrigerator temperature monitor. That actually worked quite well, and was cheap and reliable. But, I’m always wanting more! The old monitor would record the high and low between resets, and the current temperature, but that was about it. With my new RV compressor refrigerator, I’m wanting more information. […]

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Adding a dash switch to IRD / Battery Relay

2023 Update: I have since installed Discover Batteries and a Rego DC-DC charger. I still use the dash switch, but I eliminated the solenoid and IRD. Many people who have switched to Lithium, particularly with more than 200 AH of capacity, have installed a DC-DC charger. But I am not quite ready. They steal some […]

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Pepwave MAX Transit Duo Cat12

I previously installed a Cradlepoint IBR900 Router. I was reasonably satisfied with it. It wasn’t a perfect experience though. The registration process (required to manage remotely) was chaotic and took numerous calls and trouble tickets to be resolved. It immediately started crashing due to router bugs. Again, resolved through support tickets. It was a firmware […]

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RV Dual Cigarette Lighter Socket and USB

This is one of those super trivial upgrades that I almost didn’t write up, except its really useful. My Unity CB had a dual USB socket behind the drivers seat. That was useful. My security cam stays plugged in there. But I really wanted a cigarette lighter plug there as well. I have a backup […]

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Upgrade Battery Isolation Relay Cole Hersee

Just like clockwork, after about two years of ownership I noticed my alternator stopped charging my batteries reliably. Its always a little unreliable on my Lithium batteries. (I count on the solar to top them off.) But in this case the alternator completely stopped charging. (Although sometimes it would). From posts on the internet I […]

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Alpicool C20 20 Liter 12 volts Refrigerator

Stuff happens, and just about anybody who travels in an RV extensively will have refrigerator problems sooner or later. Or maybe you just want a truly tiny refrigerator you can use just about anywhere. In my case, it was a refrigerator failure. While waiting for parts I needed something to keep some minimal items cold. […]

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VanTop H610 10″ 2.5K Mirror Dash Cam

Update October 2022 – Looks like Vantop disappeared from Amazon. There are many there that appear to be the same manufacturer, but Wolfbox seems popular and well reviewed. See Amazon link at bottom of this article for Wolfbox. For my RV (and most others unless you have a really small van) the rear view mirror […]

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Isotherm Cruise 219 RV Install

(Pictured on the left is the original Dometic refrigerator. On the right is my replacement.) Also see my postscript article where I summarize the experience once I got things ironed out! My RV came with an industry standard Dometic refrigerator. I won’t spend a lot of time on the deficiencies as they are well known. […]

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RV Generator – Diesel or Propane?

This comes up online so often online that arguably its comparable to, “Cats or Dogs?” But not really. Each has their own advantages and disadvantages, so its worth considering what you plan to do with it. Its important to understand that RV diesel generators are not the same thing as the legendary commercial diesel generators […]

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SmartSolar MPPT 100/50 Charge Controller

Note: This is an older post and I have subsequently upgraded to 300 AH of Renogy Lithium and a Xantrex 3000 XC Pro Inverter. The solar charge controller still works great, I just moved it around! My new RV came with what I thought was pretty good solar. Only as I learned, it was just […]

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Battleborn Lithium RV Install

Note: This is an older post and I have subsequently upgraded to 400 AH of Discover Lithium and a Xantrex 3000 XC Pro Inverter. A few people have asked me why I didn’t simply purchase more Battleborns. Answer is: No Bluetooth. This new technology lets you monitor the health of individual batteries – very important […]

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Collapsible RV Water Container

Sooner or later you’ll need a water jug while camping. For instance while camping at Yellowstone with no hookups we occasionally used the nearby spigot to top off the fresh water tank without moving. Most of the time though, its unneeded so this was the perfect solution. It stays folded 99% of the time and […]

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No-plugs Stainless Camper Toaster

Look Ma no plug! When you travel in a 25 foot RV, real estate is scarce. We previously had a small toaster oven. But even that little guy required a generator start and had to be stowed in an outside department. So back to the stone age. This little thing makes great toast in 30 […]

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Magnum Energy ME-RC50 Remote Control

Note: This is an older post and I have subsequently upgraded to 300 AH of Renogy Lithium and a Xantrex 3000 XC Pro Inverter. So, I will be replacing my refrigerator with a compressor refrigerator (more on that soon). The first step in doing that is to expand the battery life by going Lithium (more […]

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Brita Water Pitcher, Slim

We learned quickly that Bottled water is an unwanted and expensive chore. We are water bigots and at home drink RO (Reverse Osmosis) or bottled water to get rid of chlorine or other chemicals But then we realized we already have double filtration in the the RV (house filter + external hose mounted filter) so […]

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RV Kitchen Faucet Aerator

Ok this is an absurdly simple item, hardly even worth mentioning… I learned of it while watching the YouTube channel “HoboTech”. This chronicles some middle age guy who gives up his dayjob, converts an old RoadTrek, and travels the country. In between, he offers a lot of great tips for the DIYer. So one of […]

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weboost

Sooner or later, if you have an RV, you are going to discover that some of the nicest places you would want to camp don’t have any cell service. None. Nada. Now, some people might think that’s just fine. But I have a job, and can take emergency calls round the clock, even on vacation. […]

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Pioneer AVIC-W8400NEX

DEC 2022 Update: The Pioneer worked pretty well but after 4 years I replaced with an Alpine Halo 11 iLXF511. This article is still relevant for some installation issues but the Alpine was much easier to install – basically plug-and-play since Critchfield offers a custom wiring harness. Times have changed I never used the DVD […]

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RV Air Compressor Review

My very first RV purchase once we finally received ours (the 2019  Leisure Travel Corner Bed was one year on order) was an air compressor.  I think it’s the most essential RV accessory. A couple reasons.  First, maintaining proper air pressure is extremely important.  It will have an effect on the safety, handling, and tire […]

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